


Hidden Hurt

by MagpiePair



Category: GOT7
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Jackson Wang-centric, Jackson-centric, POV Jackson, Team as Family, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:47:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26933107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagpiePair/pseuds/MagpiePair
Summary: Jackson is usually a very open person, but he tends to hide when he is struggling. Luckily, the others are looking out for him.
Relationships: Choi Youngjae & Jackson Wang, Im Jaebum | JB & Jackson Wang, Jackson Wang & Everyone, Kim Yugyeom & Jackson Wang, Kunpimook Bhuwakul | BamBam & Jackson Wang, Mark Tuan & Jackson Wang, Park Jinyoung & Jackson Wang
Kudos: 62





	Hidden Hurt

**Author's Note:**

> Back on my bullshit with fluffy h/c for my biases, y'all! This time we've got GOT6 caring for Jackson when he aggravates his back injury~

Jackson is /fine/. Really. 

He kind of has to be. They're in the middle of preparing for their comeback, and by the way Yugyeom and Bambam play around jumping on each other while Youngjae and Jinyoung compare notes on the choreography, Jackson can see that everyone else is doing fine. Sweaty and tired, but fine. 

So Jackson gulps down another half of his water bottle, relishing in the crinkling noise the material makes as he squeezes it. The liquid is refreshing on his throat and pulls his mind a little bit away from the feeling that had made him briefly question his own words that he is, in fact, fine.

Because it just so happens that dance practice today has kind of aggravated his old back injury; he can feel the strain getting worse and experimentally twists his back, but /that/ is a mistake because the twinge gets unbearable, and he almost locks into place.

It's fine, though. Honestly. They've only got about another 45 minutes to get through, and Jackson could really use the practice with their new title dance, so he just has to suck it up. The choreo's not all that demanding, anyway. It'll be fine. 

So why is Mark marching over from the other side of the rehearsal space looking so concerned, exactly? Mark looks him up and down, and Jackson would normally make a comment here about checking him out, but Mark's expression is too serious for that. He grasps Jackson's arm and asks him, “Are you okay?”

“Of course, what do you mean?” 

“You were wincing when you stretched earlier. Does something hurt?”

“No, I'm okay,” he smiles. “Were you worried about me? That's so cute!” he deflects, hanging off Mark's shoulder the way a sloth might to a tree branch. 

Mark doesn't seem appeased even as Jackson continues to change the topic. His brows furrow as Jackson starts rambling about what movie he wants the two to watch together later that night, and wow, /rude/. It's almost like he doesn't believe Jackson. And okay, yes, Jackson /is/ lying, but why can't his best bro have a little faith in him anyway??

The instructor claps to signal the end of their break, and once they resume, Jackson thinks he understands Mark's dissatisfaction with his answer, because how “okay” can he really be if he keeps messing up? Jackson curses under his breath as he trips over another step. The pain in his back is flaring up now, a burning sensation spreading across the expanse of his shoulder blades and concentrating in a particularly fiery little ball in his lower back. He knows he does not do a good job hiding his grimace. He knows even without the three other heads that turn toward him in suspicion in addition to the boring stare that Mark has continuously thrown his way. 

“You good, Jackson?” Jaebum calls in his general direction.

Replying “yeah” is easier than breathing at the moment, the word slipping out without Jackson even thinking about it. He wants to rest his hands on his knees, but bending his back even the slightest bit seems like bad news right now. 'Yet you think you can keep dancing?' some traitorous part of his brain whispers. He tells that part of his brain to shove it.

With his assurance, the group begins their next runthrough. Jackson practices every Zen principle their instructor has ever taught them during stretches and warmups, attempting to focus on the moves and absolutely nothing else. Anything other than the searing pain in his back, anyway.

Amazingly, this strategy fails. It turns out that single-handedly focusing on your body doing the moves while ignoring everything else leaves one unaware of their surroundings, and Jackson tumbles into Bambam. Both collapse onto the floor in a heap.

But while Bambam cries out a disgruntled “hyung!” and leaps to his feet with the help of Youngjae, Jackson can only stare at the hand that Yugyeom has stretched out to him. Because even when his brain is telling him to reach up and take it, he finds that he can't really move. 

Okay, so maybe not so 'fine.' 

“Jackson?” Jinyoung mumbles. He leans down into his space, squinting while he inspects the other like a particularly complicated math problem. 

“Give me a sec,” Jackson says, unhelpfully. They wait as prompted, but Jackson still doesn't move. 

“Can you... not get up?” Mark asks. Jackson turns his head at the voice which had sounded hard and angry for a split second, but when Jackson faces him, he sees only worry in his gaze.

“Um... maybe,” he says, which means 'definitely not.' 

“What hurts?” Jaebum interjects.

“My back.”

Jaebum crouches down to cradle Jackson in his arms and bring him to the couch. It shouldn't feel as nice as it does, because Jackson is a little bit embarrassed and a lot a bit in pain. 

Bambam speaks up then. “Should I call manager-hyung so he can bring him to the doctor?”

“I don't need the doctor,” Jackson responds, only to be cut off by Jinyoung's glare.

“You should have told us as soon as you were feeling pain, Jackson,” Jaebum scolds. His lecture is undercut by the soft look in his eye as he takes Jackson's chin in his hand and meets his gaze.

Mark is rubbing gentle circles on Jackson's back, feeling for the tenseness of his muscles. The action is soothing, even if the nerves in his back feel shot to hell right now. “I should have made you sit down and rest, or told somebody, or something...”

Jinyoung protests, “That's not your responsibility, Mark, it's his. Seun-ah, you need to tell us when you're not feeling well. Believe me, we're looking out for you and your antics as much as we can, but we're not mind readers. You've got to speak up.”

“I really thought it would be fine...” he mutters, his gaze meeting the floor.

Youngjae wordlessly rubs his arm, and Jackson lets his eyes fall closed as he counts on the gentle touches of his teammates to keep him grounded.

“Yeah, we're definitely bringing you to the doctor,” Jaebum confirms a moment later. Jackson groans but offers no further arguments. 

\---

Bedrest. BEDREST. The doctor had told him not only to sit out the next few days' practice but to stay in bed! As if that weren't a death sentence to an idol.

Maybe that's dramatic, but his poor back had been screaming at him all day, so Jackson thinks he's allowed to participate in a few theatrics. 

“I'm going to be so booooored...” he grumbles for the thirtieth time. He is quick to announce his displeasure and annoyance to whoever is in earshot at any given time.

He is less keen to tell them what is really running on repeat through his head. 'I'm going to be so lonely. I'm going to fall behind.' No one needs to hear that.

But Yugyeom rolls his eyes and plops down next to him, cuddling into his side. Bambam mirrors him on Jackson's other side. The mattress sinks down slightly with the three men's combined weight all concentrated in the middle. Jackson's arms automatically go to rest on his dongsaengs' shoulders, but before he can even reach, their heads have found their way to his shoulders. And from the way they nuzzle against him without even any noogies or other teasing displays to mitigate the cheesiness of their affectionate actions, Jackson thinks maybe they understand his fear of loneliness anyway, even without him saying anything.

This is how Jinyoung finds the trio thirty minutes later. He snorts fondly at them before settling into the bed across the room and pulling out his phone. 

Jackson thinks that he nods off for a minute or two in the warmth and comfort of the others' embrace, but he stirs when he hears Jinyoung's “wooooow.”

Jackson's eyes flitter open to see Jinyoung staring down at his phone in wonder. Jackson cranes his neck to try to see what the other is looking at, but even if his brothers were not still weighing him down, he is unable to move much due to the insistent pain in his back. “What is it?” he settles for asking.

Jinyoung smiles widely and turns the screen toward him. “Some aghases made a video compilation of your solo performances. You actually look pretty cool in some of these.”

“Hey, what do you mean, 'actually'??” Jackson goes for offended, but the effect is somewhat ruined by the blush staining his cheeks. Jinyoung is watching his performances? Had the video been recommended to him, or had he searched it up?

Jinyoung's playful smile turns more tender. “Seriously, you look so good in these. You're one of the fastest learners and hardest workers I know. Take some time off so the rest of us can catch up to you, yeah?”

And, /oh/. Jackson really is more transparent than he thinks. Had his worries and stress been that obvious? He bites the inside of his cheek. He knows Jinyoung wouldn't lie to him for the sake of it, but it is hard to accept that he won't be behind after his days of rest. Still, his words bring some comfort to Jackson, because he knows that at least Jinyoung believes in his own words. That will just have to be enough for now, because Jackson may be reckless, but he's not going to do something stupid like try to sneak in solo practice in the dorm while the others are out. He doesn't want this bedrest period, but now that it has been foisted upon him, he is going to follow it to the letter so that he recovers and they let him rejoin their activities as soon as possible.

“...Thanks,” he manages after a breath. He probably let the silence sit too long while he was overthinking, but Jinyoung just stands and rubs Jackson's arm before leaving the room. 

Jackson looks down to his still sleeping bandmates and feels a bit better than before.

\---

Of course, things don't always stay good, and Jackson's mood and overall condition is a bit up and down over the next few days.

But however he's feeling, what hasn't changed is his smile. It feels natural to put one on; he almost feels naked without one. So he smiles when he waves them goodbye each day as they head to practices and schedules. He laughs off a grimace when he reaches for a mug from the upper shelves in the kitchen and sends a shockwave of pain down his spine. 

“Let me get that, hyung,” Youngjae calls out from right behind. Jackson startles at the voice in his ear; he hadn't noticed the other was so close. 

Youngjae's hand reached past Jackson's, and although Youngjae is barely taller than Jackson himself and has to tiptoe a bit, his hands find purchase on the novelty Hong Kong mug that Jackson likes. 

“Here,” the younger presents the mug to him with a smile, as if it were some award he was giving Jackson. 

“Thanks.” He smiles back when taking the cup, even as he internally curses his diminutive stature and the ever-present pain that prevents him from reaching too far upwards in the first place. He should have been able to get that himself. 

“Do you need anything else?”

“No, I'm good.”

“Really, I've been meaning to go to the convenience store. I can pick you up a chocolate bar or an instant meal or something.” 

Jackson waves him off with his hand and another smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. “Nah, getting to see my cute dongsaeng is good enough for me.” He plops down on the couch and makes grabby hands. He expects Youngjae to brush him off as usual with a look of fake disgust, but to his surprise, Youngjae sits next to him and lets himself be held. 

Jackson blinks quickly before his smile settles into something a little more real.

They sit like that a little longer as Youngjae absently plays some game on his phone. Jackson stares off into the distance, relishing in the comforting contact, but his mind starts to race a million miles an hour the way it does when he is troubled and has nothing to distract him. He's been nothing but an inconvenience lately. Interrupting their practice with his back problems, missing out on schedules and letting down fans by not participating in some of the group's Lives... And now, making the others, especially his younger members, take care of him. He wishes he could kick this dumb back injury for good. 

“Uh oh, Jackson's thinking. Careful, don't strain yourself.” 

Jackson looks to the front door to see Jaebum's teasing smile. Mark files in after him, a similar smirk gracing his features. “Jackson thinking? That's never good news.”

“Shut up!” 

Jaebum ignores Jackson's yell as he sets down a bag of groceries on the table. Youngjae stands then and approaches the table to check the contents of the bag. “What are you thinking about?” his leader asks. 

“Nothing,” he replies easily. Mark and Jaebum both shoot him a look but say nothing else.

“Jackson-hyung!” Youngjae suddenly calls. He is waving something over his head, and Jackson squints to be able to see it. “Looks like our fearless leader got your chocolate for you, anyway!”

He flushes as Youngjae brings the treat over. He is privately pleased that Jaebum had thought of him and got him something he liked from the store, but he still can't help but feel a little burdensome. 

Mark takes notice of the subtle change in his expression, even as Jackson quickly schools his features back into a smile. Mark sits next to Jackson on the couch, his gaze soft yet somehow unrelenting as he stares into Jackson's eyes. Jackson finds he can't look away. “Sure you're okay, bub?”

“Y-yeah...”

“No, you're not.” Jaebum responds. Both men on the couch whip their heads over to Jaebum, who has not paused in putting away the new groceries. “Why would you be? You hurt your back and have to sit out on our schedules and rest for a few days. It's normal to be upset, Jackson.” 

Jackson bites his lower lip. He's finding his facade harder to maintain in the face of his teammates' attention as well as their logical arguments. “It's fine. It's just for a few more days, so...”

Mark lightly hits his shoulder. “Come on, I know it must suck right now. So complain to us! Vent. It's what we're here for.”

This seems to set Jackson over the edge. “No, it's not! You guys are busy handling all our new promotion prep while I slack off. Why would you have the time or energy to take care of me when I'm just being a whiny baby who brought this on myself by not monitoring my back properly??”

A sudden silence. Jackson looks up to see Youngjae and Jaebum making their way over to the couch, both sets of eyebrows pinched and eyes sad. He looks to Mark, then, whose expression appears similarly upset. Just what he had /not/ wanted. He clenches a fist.

“Wow, okay, that is a lot... No, Jackson, please look at me.” Jackson feels Mark's gentle hand under his chin guiding his head back upwards from where it had taken residence staring down at the fraying ends of the couch cushion. “We are never too busy for you. We know you're not slacking off, and we don't see it as a responsibility to care for you when you're hurting. We /want/ to help you.”

“And you're not a whiny baby, hyung. You've been really strong and enduring a lot over the past couple days, but it worries us more when you don't tell us if you're struggling. We want to be able to offer you some comfort.” 

“Mark and Youngjae are right.” Jaebum's touch is feather-light on Jackson's cheek, and he unconsciously leans into the other's palm. “You can't avoid our care forever. That's what it means to be in a group with a bunch of busybodies like us. So just give up and let us help you. It's going to happen anyway, so you might as well make it easier on yourself.” Jaebum smiles, and Jackson feels the corners of his own lips rising into a wide smile. 

“You promise it's not a bother? You'll tell me if I'm being too much, right? You can just hit me if I'm too demanding. Just don't hit my back!” he adds hastily.

“Oh, Jackson, you're always too much. But we love you that way,” Mark answers while nuzzling his cheek against Jackson's. 

Jackson laughs whole-heartedly and wraps his arms tightly around Youngjae and Jaebum to pull them down onto the couch as well. They shout their weak protests but do not move away as Jackson manhandles them into mandatory cuddle time. 

\---

“I'm back, baby,” Jackson announces to the room, even though he is the first one in. He cracks his knuckles and stares at the mirror confrontationally. He attempts to project a confidence he doesn't entirely feel.

Because it is his first day back, and he can't help but be a little nervous. Even though his back hasn't bothered him in two days now. Even though he knows logically that he didn't miss that much. 

The others come in soon after him. “Hey, Jackson-hyung! Good to have you back,” Yugyeom calls out, as if the two hadn't driven over to the dance studio together in their manager's car an hour ago. Jackson is glad he and the youngest had decided to head over early. It gave him time to greet all the staff in the building, who he had last seen 6 days, AKA a lifetime ago! 

They all start joking around easily, throwing a happy look in his direction or clapping their hands on his shoulder. Leave it to Jinyoung to kill the mood, however, as he stares Jackson down and states lowly, “You'll tell us this time if you're not feeling your best, right?”

“Yeah.” At the continued silence, he puts his hand to his heart. “Promise!”

He really is doing better, but as they get started warming up, he notices that they are all still hovering around him. Youngjae and Bambam are not subtle with the way they keep glancing over at him. Mark is standing about 3 paces too close to Jackson for them to even stretch properly, and he only steps away when Jackson pushes his arm. 

Jackson can't even be mad because he hasn't exactly given them reason to trust that he will share if he is struggling. So he accepts their overbearing care and follows along as best he can.

The first runthrough goes very well, as do the second and third. With each successful practice, Jackson feels himself growing lighter. The sweat and exhaustion each feel good to his overly-rested bones, and he becomes energized by the movements of his brothers around him. This is what he had been missing for the past week. And he is even happier to realize he hasn't noticed his back bothering him once so far. This is better than he expected, even. 

Finally, about an hour and a half later, the constant exertion starts to get to him. It isn't quite “pain” levels yet, more a warning tightness in his back that tells him much more continuous use of his back muscles will lead to an unpleasant feeling. His first instinct, as always, is to clench his jaw and tamp it down. But he glances over at his brothers then and fights that impulse.

“Hey, guys? Can we take a quick break?” 

Jaebum smiles at him. “Of course.” He dismisses them to break with a clap and tosses a water bottle Jackson's way. He accepts it gratefully and greedily gulps down a good third of the bottle. 

When he sits down on the bench and sees his younger groupmates flop onto the ground like ungraceful sacks of potatoes, he smiles. They seem to appreciate the rest as much as him. Jinyoung and Mark sit on either side of Jackson on the bench without even complaining about how sweaty it is or how much hotter it is sitting in close proximity like this. 

And maybe Jackson doesn't feel like such a burden after all.

They're not treating him like he is glass, just like he is human.

(He recalls one such conversation during his rest period a few days back. Mark had tried to impart to him, “You know you're human, right?” Jackson had chuckled and responded, “More of an Adonis or other type of god, really, but point taken.”)

And humans need to rest, take care of themselves, and let others care for them. Jackson understands their care a little better now. This isn't some duty for them. They showed him frequently throughout the week, by their actions and their words, that they simply didn't want him to get worse. That they wanted him to feel like he didn't have to shoulder his troubles alone, and like he could share them with his bandmates like they always do with him. He thinks he might be starting to believe that it really is okay. 

“Is everyone ready?” Jaebum calls out a few minutes later. Despite his statement addressing everyone, he clearly looks to Jackson first.

Jackson nods, takes Jinyoung's hand when he offers it to help stand up, and goes to get in line with his teammates. 

Yeah, Jackson really is fine. And he doesn't always have to be, but even in the moments when he's not fine, he knows he will get better again. Even if he needs their help. Even if he wants their help. 

Especially then.


End file.
